


aftereffect | THE HANGOVER | p. w

by BrunetteMarionette



Category: The Hangover (Movies)
Genre: Adult Language, Adult Themes, Alcohol, Drugging, Drugs, F/M, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Wedding, OC has commitment troubles, OC has issues, Partying, References to Drugs, Swearing, Threats of Violence, Violence, chow is awesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:00:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27549499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrunetteMarionette/pseuds/BrunetteMarionette
Summary: in which a woman becomes friends with a group of guys and almost ruins her best friends wedding•" Did I really just make friends with Mike Tyson?. "" That's what you're taking from this experience?"•[ the hangover][ adult themes and language ][ phil wenneck ]
Relationships: Phil Wenneck/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	1. | chapter one |

Dancing in the Club with my best friend Tracy, I couldn't keep the smile off my face. I live for these moments, to feel free and get my dance on with my friend, having no care in the world _until_ the next morning.

"Let's get a drink," Tracy calls to me as she leans into my ear, nodding quickly; I let her pull me over to the bar as we pushed past people and through couples who were more focused on putting their tongues down each other's throats.

"Two Appletinis," Tracy says as she leans over the bar giving the barman a bright grin before throwing her arm around my shoulder. _"It's my best friend's birthday!"_ a few people cheered for me as Tracy whooped.

Tracy and I had been friends since we met, back when I was 7 and she as 11; you would think she would want to be friends with kids her own age, but no, she chose to stick by me through thick and thin.

We were practically sisters growing up, although that came with being around Tracy's older brother Alan who followed us around everywhere, unable to make friends of his own.

Seeing our drink being put in front of us, I got a wink from the barman as he pours us two shots. "Happy birthday, beautiful," he commented with a wide grin before moving to serve someone else.

Clinking my shot glass with Tracy, I laughed as she cheered "Happy _22nd_ birthday!" before we both downed the shot, and Tracy's face instantly screwed up tightly. "I don't know how you drink those," she said, shaking her head shivering.

" _I'm_ still young," I joked as she bumped hips with me, sipping on her own green colored drink, and I followed suit. "God, I love apple," I told her, feeling the effects of the alcohol that we had been drinking for most of the day.

Leading her to a table, I placed my drink down and looked up to see her blushing. "What?" I question with a smile before noticing her gaze going over my shoulder. I turned to see a guy also staring back at my friend from another table.

He was sat with two other guys, all three of them good looking in different ways "why don't you go over there?" I questioned my friend, who instantly shook her head, still blushing.

"I don't think so," She laughed, hiding her red face behind the martini glass "that shit might be easy for you but not me" I rolled my eyes at her words, knowing she'd never go over there, and by the look of it, the guy wasn't about to make a move either.

Grabbing my drink, I stood with a smirk as Tracy began to panic, "Lexi, no!" she pleaded with me but I wasn't going to let this go.

 _"Lexi, yes,"_ I sassed, giving her a kiss on the cheek as I made my way over to the table with a smile.

"Hi," I said as the three guys all perked up, looking shocked that I was there. _"So-"_ I turned to the smaller guy who blinked at me owlishly like he was being put on the spot.

"-my friend over there thinks you're cute but won't make a move, so I am. Are you single?" the guy nods slowly as he glances over my shoulder, giving Tracy a small smile. " _Great_ , her name is Tracy. She's 26 and is into you. You should go talk to her".

The guy stares at me for a second. "You think so?" he questions, looking doubtful but eager as I nod my head quickly, egging him on. "Okay. _Yeah,_ okay. Thanks," I grin as he gets up and walks away to Tracy, who drops her head, blushing embarrassed.

I sit in the guy's chair and smile at his surprised friends. " _Hey_ , I'm Lexi," I call over the music as the two give me smiles. "I'm Phil, this is Stu, and that was Doug," the tallest guy says as I look into his overly blue eyes.

"That was nice of you," Stu says as he motions over his shoulder to where Doug and Tracy were really hitting it off by the looks of her, making the subtle moves of nudging him jokingly and giving him her best flirty smile.

"Not really," I answer before laughing at his confused face. "I have to go home with her whining, and I don't wanna listen to that shit," I joke as Phil lets out a chuckle drinking his beer.

"And what about you?" Phil questions like he's looking into my soul, and I tilt my head to the side questioningly "are you dating anyone?" he asks after seeing my confused face as he and Stu both look at me.

 _"Fuck no,"_ I admit as the lovebirds make their way over to us. "I'm single, and I like it that way," I tell the two of them as Tracy giggles when she nears us.

"She has _major_ commitment issues," She explains to the guys as I roll my eyes; having heard this from her many times, it was something she always worried about and told me I would miss out on a great relationship if I didn't get over it.

That was her way of worry about me being _'forever alone.'_

"I _don't_ have commitment issues," I shoot back as she opens her eyes wide, looking ready to call me out on my words. I took a sip of my drink to get ready for some back and forth banter.

" _Oh_ , bullshit," She laughs as the guys watch our interaction with interest "what about Jackson?" she questioned as I bit my lip, knowing she wasn't going to go easy on me. I didn't sleep with all the guys she was thinking of but did that really matter?

"We didn't really match up," I answered, drinking some more of my appletini, knowing where this was going from the twinkle in her eye.

"Okay, how about _Mike?_ " she giggled, saying his name almost as if she couldn't keep a straight face, and with good reason, the guy was a tool and a loser.

I burst out laughing as I thought of that particular ex of mine. "Thank you next." I always wondered if I was drunk our entire relationship in all honesty.

"James?"

I held up a finger, stopping Tracy from continuing, "I actually liked him, but..." however, with the more laughter she was gaining, the more savage she was becoming.

"and Theo? You said he was an angel next thing we know, he's gone, and you're over it", Tracy argued as the guys struggle to keep straight faces; my mouth opened and closed a few times before shrug.

"I got _nothing_ to say to this bitch" I jokingly huff to Phil, who finally gets taken over by his laughter, "and on my birthday _too!"_ I pout, finishing up my drink as the guys look at me in surprise before saying happy birthday.

"Yep, my little Lexi is 22 today," Tracy grins as she places her head on mine, and I notice the glassy look in her eyes, which I'm sure matched the rest of us. "She's growing up," she jokingly wiped away her tears.

"Momma, I'm a big girl now," I call out, draining the rest of Tracy's drink that she was too slow to do herself " _right_ , let's go!" I say, standing up before Doug goes wide-eyed and questions where we're going.

"We're going to _**the Club,**_ " I answer in a _'duh'_ tone before Tracy could and pull on Stu's arm to walk with me. "Come on," I say over my shoulder, hearing Tracy telling Phil and Doug that I have a way of getting people to go with the flow.

"So Stewie, have you a lady friend or a guy friend. I'm not judging. This is a judge free zone", I state as the five of us walk together towards the Club, and Stu smiles at me gently before telling me all about his girlfriend, Melissa.

Stopping in the street, I turned to him seriously, " _Wow_. She sounds awful," Phil splutters a laugh behind his hand as Doug bites his cheek, " _but_ good for you, I guess," I spoke, giving the older man a thumbs up.

Taking money out of Tracy's purse, I notice her giving me a grin, which I reciprocate. "Wow, this line is long," Phil comments as I begin to bypass the line and walk straight to the door, hearing Tracy telling Phil to follow me quickly.

Getting closer to the door, I smile at the doorman, _"Marty!"_ I call out, giving the man a hug and laughing as he holds me close, "How the _fuck_ are you?" I say as I slide the money into his hand and feel plastic being pushed back into mine.

I knew my new companions saw the deal but said nothing. This was going to be a fantastic night. Best birthday ever? _I'll get back to you tomorrow with that_ , but hopefully, with my new friends, it would be.

"Doing great, Lex, _thanks_ ," He answers, stepping as and letting us all through into the building where the bass shook the walls, the lights could set off an epileptic, and anything goes.

 _ **The Club**_ was the place to be if you wanted a good night out, but entrance was limited, and waits were long.

 _Unless_ you knew the right people.

" _That_ was awesome," Doug commented from where he stood with his arm over Tracy's shoulders "it was like something out of a movie," he laughed, looking at Tracy, who just smiled back happily.

"Lexi knows a lot of people, and it pays off," my best friend explains as I drag them over to an out of the way table and pull out the small bag filled with colorful pills all stamped with different things.

Taking out a pink pill with lips stamped on it, I quickly placed it on my tongue and washed it down with the whisky flask I kept attached to my thigh.

Picking another pill out, I moved it closer to Tracy like a train " _Choo choo_ , get on the E train," I sing to her with a laugh.

My friend opened her mouth and let me place the pill on her tongue before taking the flask from me. It felt bad to say she had never tried E before I started doing it, but she was a big girl who could say no at any time.

Placing pills into each of the other guys' hands, I knew the real test was coming up, would they take it or walk away. To my amazement, Phil instantly swallowed his pill as Tracy passed him my whiskey.

Doug bit his lip before shrugging and following suit; Stu, however, gave me another soft smile before handing it back. "I'm sorry, Lexi, but I'm a doctor; I _can't_ do this."

I gave him one of my real smiles as I took the pill back before shrugging and swallowing it as Phil took another pill from the bag in my hand with a wink as he copied my motions.

"He's not really a doctor; he's a _dentist_ ," Phil smoothly explained as Stu glared at him, and Doug chuckled. That was obviously an argument they've had before.

Placing the small baggie into my bra and placing the whiskey flask back onto my thigh under my dress, I was now ready to have some real fun.

"Come on, I wanna dance," I say, dragging Tracy from her seat as she giggled; I peeked at her dilated pupils with a snigger. "You're so gone," I point out as she squashes her cheek against mine as the guys follow us towards the bar.

" _Sooo_ are you!" she laughs loudly, singing to the music as Doug watches her from his seat with a smile, it was like he couldn't believe she was real and Tracy was doing the same. What had I gotten myself into?

"So birthday girl, what are we doing?" Phil questions as I stand close to him, only pausing when he orders the round of drinks for all of us. We managed to get more free shots by yelling out it was my birthday.

That always seemed to work if you were young and hot.

"Tracy promised me, strippers!" I yell over the music as the guys glance at us uncomfortably as I laugh, _"female strippers,"_ I explain more, and they all seem to relax. "No party is final without strippers."

Phil hands me my drink with a nod, "I agree. _To Lexi!"_ we all cheer, tapping our glass together, ready for a night none of us would ever truly forget.


	2. | chapter two |

_"You've reached Doug. Sorry I missed your call. Please leave a name and number, and I'll get back to you."_

_"Hey, it's Lexi. I'm either busy or just avoiding someone I don't like. Leave me a message, and if I don't call back, it's you."_

_"Dr. Stuart Price with Divine Dentistry. Please leave a message after..."_

_"Hey, this is Phil. Leave me a message or don't. Do me a favor, don't text me. It's gay."_

__

Giggling with Tracy about the happening of the bachelorette party, I grinned as she covered her blushing face. "I don't think I've _ever_ seen someone put a dollar bill in a stripper's thong that quick before."

Tracy nudged me with her hip as she continued to blush. "He looked just like Channing Tatum, and I thought we weren't going to talk about it ever again" I smiled at my best friend's hushed voice – _she was so cute and naive._

" _Yeah_ , you would think over a decade worth of friendship you would know me better by now," I smirked, crossing my arms before hearing a yell; rolling my eyes, I shook my head, knowing it was just Alan.

He and Doug were being fitted for their suits, and the man child would be the one to kick up a fuss "one of us should really go check up on him," I muttered as Tracy just nodded at me before motioning to the room.

"You're my maid of honor; it's your duty to make sure _my_ life is easy until I say the words I do" I spluttered at her words before she continued, "that and I _really_ don't want to have to deal with Alan today."

I pouted, almost stomping my foot before she turns back with a grin " _oh_ , and Doug wanted to ask you something" Her eyes shone mischievously, "look after them _and_ have fun. "

Walking towards the room the men were in, I gave the doorframe a quick few taps. "Knock knock, it's just me," I say, opening the door when Doug sarcastically yells out, _'come in me.'_

_Wow, dad jokes already?_

Huffing out a laugh, I walk in just as Floyd, their tailor, is stepping out looking very uncomfortable, I should add. I'm guessing that had something to do with Alan accusing him of touching his dick.

"Hey guys, _whoa!"_ I scream, throwing a hand over my eyes, seeing my best friend's brother standing comfortably half naked. " _Oh god_ , Alan, _please_ put some pants on," I beg as the older man shrugs before looking around.

"Hey, uh, Lex, can I talk to you?" Doug asks with a nod of his head.

"Sure, what's up?" I say as we move away from Alan, who was still going round and round looking for his pants.

Doug smiled at me, excitedly. "I want you to come to Vegas with us," my eyes widened in shock; of all the things I thought he was going to ask me, this wasn't one of them.

The last time he wanted to _'talk,'_ we were picking out an engagement ring for Tracy.

"On your guys' bachelor party?" A grimace overtook my face as Doug just rolls his eyes at my dramatic response.

"Don't look at me like that; you've seen _way_ more strippers than I have" We both laughed, knowing it was probably right. "Plus, if it weren't for you, this probably wouldn't be happening."

I tap him on the arm with a small smile. "This _wouldn't_ be happening; you were both pussies” I joked.

I'm sure that even without my intervention back then, the two of them would have met each other and fallen in love, but I liked that Doug thought this was all on me. It kinda makes me feel special.

"What about the other guys?" I question, biting my lip; it's not that going to Vegas didn't appeal to me, but I didn't want the guys to feel like they were being spied on by not only their best friend but the bride's best friend.

"Phil was the one who suggested it, and you know Stu loves hanging out with you. Come on, Lex, _for me?"_ Doug gave me a pout, which I know definitely would have worked on Tracy, whose words now made sense.

 _That bitch,_ she obviously knew all about this, and as always, my love for partying still won out over my rationale.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I put my hand up, pointing at the soon-to-be groom. _"Fine-"_ Doug cheered before I continued, "but Alan's sitting with you."

The dark-haired man pointed at me with a winning smile. _"Done!"_ we both had a quick hug before letting go. "We're going to have an awesome time," he grinned as I snorted. Any time with me was a great time.

I glared at him when his smile didn't break. I knew I was being set up. "Why do I have a feeling you knew I would say yes."

Doug just patted my arm with a playful wink. "We'll swing by your apartment on the way, and you can pack," I groaned, knowing packing was the worst part about any vacation, especially an impromptu one.

If only I hadn't unpacked from the bachelorette party, I would have been totally ready to go again.

"You know, Doug, I was thinking...If you wanna go to Vegas without me, that is totally cool, _you know?"_ we both turned to each other before looking back at the other man knowing Tracy would kill us if we left him behind.

"What are you talking about?" Doug scoffs until Alan pulls the jockstrap he's wearing down under his butt. My eyes hit the roof as I hear Doug begin to stutter – _Alan was a little special, but we loved him anyway._

"You know, Phil and Stu, they're your buddies, and it's your bachelor party," The shaggy-haired man explained, making me smile. Although he was weird at times, he cared a lot too.

"Come on, Alan. Those two _love_ you," I tell him, perching on the arm of the chair Doug was sitting on. We were like two parents trying to make their child feel better about themselves.

"And also, I don't want you to feel like you have to hold back...because your wife's brother's and Lexi's best friend/ future husband there," Doug stifled a laugh at Alan's words.

I choked on air as I began to stutter up a storm. "You're _not_ my..."

Doug cut me off. "It's not like that. I already told you, Alan." He began taking off his wedding shoes. " _Okay?_ We're just spending the night in Vegas. It's no big deal. Lexi's coming too, so we'll be fine."

I scoffed quietly. " _Yes_ , because I'm the one who's going to keep us in line. _Sure_ ,".

Doug grinned as he looked at me from the corner of his eye. "Besides, you're not just my wife's brother; you're my brother now. We're all family".

"That's right, and when we-" Alan points between himself and me " _\- get married_ , you'll be brother and sister, so I just want you to know, Doug, I'm a steel trap. Whatever happens tonight, I will never, ever, ever, speak a word of it."

_**"We're not getting-"** _

Doug moved past me to tap Alan on the shoulder in a brotherly way. " _Okay. Yeah, I got it._ Thank you, but I don't think that...".

Alan shook his head as he stood in front of us with his hands on his hips while Dough and I stare at anything but his jockstrap. " _Seriously_. I don't care what happens. I don't care if we kill someone".

My eyebrows shot up as Doug glanced at me, looking worried. "You heard me. It's Sin City," The challenged man expresses as Doug sucks in a breath as if wondering if Alan was okay.

" _Not_ sure they mean it as a challenge, Alan," I tell the shaggy man as I turn to leave, "and _for fuck sake_ , put some pants on. It's weird that I had to tell you twice."


	3. | chapter three |

After stopping at my apartment and picking out all the clothes and things I'd need for the overnight bachelor party, we made our way to pick up Phil, who somehow worked as a History teacher.

" _Ahem_ , do you have to park so close?" Alan hisses, glancing around looking worried.

"Yeah. What's wrong?" Doug question as he turns back to face me, but I just shrug, having no idea what was going on.

"I shouldn't be here," The weird man says, lowering in his seat a little; my eyebrows shot up in surprise, wondering what the fuck he was talking about.

"Why is that, Alan?" I ask, leaning around the seat, trying to get a better look at the shaggy-haired older man who currently looked ashamed.

"I'm not supposed to be within 200 feet of a school-" Alan admitted as his head quickly turned to meet mine "-Or a Chuck E. Cheese. _You_ know this, Lexi".

I blinked in shock. "I have no _fucking_ idea what you're talking about, Alan. Oh wait, is that because of that time you-" my words were cut off by a loud yell that could only belong to a certain immature male.

Turning my head, I smiled, seeing Phil walking towards the car with a bright smile on his face when he sees me in the back seat. " _Nice car_. I'm driving," he says, gently tossing his bag next to me with a wink.

"Whoa, no chance _, buddy-"_ The blue-eyed man steps up onto the car, causing Doug to freak out _"... Don't step..."_ Phil jumped into the seat next to me, throwing his up over the seats. _"God. Watch the leath..."._

Phil just scoffs and leans back against the leather. " _Shut up_ and drive before these nerds ask me another question" Doug pulls out of the school.

"You are _literally_ their teacher," I laugh as he shrugs with a grin on his face before noticing the person in the front seat.

_"Who's this?"_

"It's Alan. Tracy's brother" Doug tells him quickly when Alan's face drops into a sad frown; I knew he liked Phil a lot he weirdly looked up to him and wanted to be best friends with the tall man.

"I met you, like, four times," He pouts all childlike.

Phil nods slowly. " _Oh, yeah_. How you doing, man?" I knew he still had no idea who Alan was but was going with it for Doug. He turned to glance at me with a grin. "So you agreed to come along with us after all."

I rolled my eyes. " _Yep_ , Doug begged me to come because I'm some kind of stripper connoisseur" both Doug and Phil laughed at my joke as the blue eye male started playing with the tips of my hair absentmindedly.

" _Plus_ , I'm still on a high from the bachelorette" I grinned as Doug turns his head slightly to look back at me.

"So if I were to ask-" I cut him off with a laugh. I knew exactly what he was going to ask. If you knew your soon-to-be wife was a party girl and was out with her best friend who was even worse, you'd want to know what went on too.

" _Nope_ , my lips are sealed. All I will say is as the maid of honor, I gave her one hell of a send-off. Strippers, alcohol, glitter bombs, strippers, more alcohol, and some other _'things'"._

"You said strippers twice," Alan said, also turning back to stare at me as I just smirked and winked at him as he blushed.

I almost moaned when Phil scratched the back of my head while he was curling bits around his finger. _"Marry me,"_ he joked, gazing at me with his bright blue eyes.

"no way, who in their right mind gets married willingly," I say as everyone in the car except me raises one of their hands. Pouting, I just cross my arms as we get to Stu's house.

" _Right_ , you know the drill," Doug calls over his shoulder to us, letting out a groan. I forgot that he lives with a monster.

Shuffling down, I lay my head in Phil's lap as he lets out a small laugh. "Do _not_ get excited," I warn him as he gives me a broad cheeky smile before holding his hands to his mouth to yell.

**_"Paging Dr. Faggot. Dr. Faggot!"_ **

The she-devil took an instant disliking to me when we first met. I have no idea if it's because I'm female or because I'm close to the guys, but either way, I had to duck down for Stu's sake whenever we hung out.

The last time she yelled at him in front of me, I almost jumped her. Phil had to keep me away from her. I was raging inside, and then it only got worse when I noticed how submissive Stu was getting with each day they're together.

She's an abusive, controlling hag, and I've told her that many times.

_Maybe that's why she hates me?_

Hearing Stu closing the door, I awkwardly gave him a thumbs up when he looked into the car with a shocked smile. Doug got out to push the chair forward and let Stu in, who was waving back at the house nervously.

" _Oh god_ , she's looking," Stu grits through a smile. "She has to know; she's staring" I feel Phil move and look up to see him giving the witch an overly friendly wave. "It's like she had a radar for _you_ , Lex."

Letting out a groan, I shuffled my body, not because I was inches away from Phil's dick but because my back was starting to ache. I huffed before letting out an annoyed hiss. _"Get in the fucking car, Stu!"._

I glanced up again to see Stu blowing kisses towards the house. "Bye, my love," he was way over the top with her, and I bet all she did was roll her eyes.

Letting out sarcastic kisses, I put on a squeaky voice, " _bye-bye, my love_ , you absolute dragon lady" everyone laughed except Stu, who just pinches my side, " _Ow!_ You motherfucker!".


	4. | chapter four |

Being stuck between Phil and Stu would be suffocating if I didn't think the end goal was Vegas. I was willing to suffer the journey to get to that destination.

"Whoo!" Alan stands up in his seat and begins cheering, _"Road trip! Vegas! Vegas, baby! Vegas!"_ I turn to see the little girl he was pointing at flicking him off. He quickly sat down after that.

"Come on, just till Barstow. Everybody's passing us," Phil argued, wanting to drive the car. I just leaned back into my chair, drinking the beer that Phil had passed around to all of us.

"Absolutely not. I promised Sid. I will be the only one driving this car. Besides, you're drinking," Doug tells him as we continued to drive along at a snail's pace.

"Oh, what are you, a cop now? You know I drive great when I'm drunk," Phil called out as Stu, and I nodded, we've both seen Phil behind the wheel when he was drunk, and I have to admit drunk driving Phil is a better driver.

"True. Don't forget, Phil was always our designated drunk driver," Stu explained as I high-fived him.

"Yeah. You wanna explain it to them, Alan?" I knew what was coming already. None of us have ever driven this car, even with me being close to their family, I wasn't allowed to drive it.

_Stupid DUI._

"Guys, my dad loves this car more than he loves me, so, yeah," Alan said, and I noticed Phil roll his eyes beside me. He didn't realize how true that statement probably was.

"Aw, whatever. I left my ex-wife and kid back home so I could go with you guys. You know how difficult that was?" I snorted, knowing that he was lying. He hated being married.

His ex-wife was amazing though, they're still really good friends, and their son Eli is the most adorable kid I've ever met, and her husband was an all-around really awesome guy.

"That's really sweet, Phil," Alan said as the rest of us scoffed, knowing how untrue that comment was. Phil was a good dad, he really was, but like me, he loved the more easy-going lifestyle that didn't come with marriage and kids.

"Dude, I was being sarcastic. I fucking hate my life. I may never go back. I might stay in Vegas."

I gasped, putting my hand on his arm. " _Oh_ , me too! We could get a condo together!" I say excitedly, thinking about all the gambling, alcohol, and strippers _"all you can eat buffets,"_ I mumble to myself as Phil nudges my head with his playfully.

"Doug, enjoy yourself because come Sunday, you're gonna start dying just a little bit every day."

I scoff at the blue-eyed man. "I'm so telling Steph you said that" His eyes narrow on mine. I loved telling Steph things he's said and watching him get told off like a naughty schoolboy; even Eli does it now too.

"Yeah. That's why I've managed to stay single this whole time, you know?" I almost spit my beer at Alan's causal words.

"Oh, really? That's why you're single?" Doug laughs, looking back at me for a second with a wide grin. That's one to tell Trace.

"You mean it's not because your best pick up line is "Did you just fart? Because you blow me away!" Stu actually spits his beer as Doug groans from the front seat, having got it all over his neck.

Alan spins around in his chair and stares at me. "It's good because it shows I'm interested, and I care about her bodily functions."

I just hold my hands up to show my innocence as the man-child turns back in his chair. "Am I all right over there, Alan?" Doug asks, not being able to see into the next lane.

"Yeah, you're good."

A loud honk comes from behind us as I scream and latch on to Phil, while Stu bundles himself into my side, shrieking even louder. All the while, Phil just holds his beer laughing when Doug swerves the car back into the other lane.

"That was awesome!" Alan yells out, laughing as Phil rubs my shoulder with the arm he had wrapped around me while I tried to control my breathing. Alan was going to be the death of us.

"That was not awesome. What's wrong with you?" Doug argues as his face turns a bright shade of red. I was sure he'd yell that he would turn the car around.

"That was insane. We almost just died," Stu yells after pulling himself out from my side like a little raccoon.

Alan turned in his seat as he faced the carefully driving Doug, who should have known better than to trust Alan with anything. "You should have seen your face. Classic".

"That's funny." Phil laughed as I began to let out short giggles; it was funnier now my heart wasn't trying to escape from my chest.

"It's not funny," Doug retorted, sounding like he was pouting.

* * *

Sitting on the counter, I had been getting friendly with the female cashier as my friends wandered around, getting their snacks and things. I watched out of the window as Alan started scaring off people away from the car.

"Is he _special?"_ Jane asks as she takes one of my red vines and chews it while watching Alan; she was actually a pretty cool lady.

I snorted at her question. " _Personally_ , he's very special to us, so yes... _mentally_ also yes" Phil laughs at my words as he taps my knee and helps me down from the counter that I had been sat on.

"He's actually kind of funny," The tall man sniggers, watching as an old man is scared away from the precious vehicle by a protective Alan.

Doug nods also looking out at Alan who was waving people away from the car "Yeah, he means well."

"All jokes aside, is he all there? Like, mentally?" I have gotten this question so many times over the years, and at first, it annoyed me, but now I found it kind of funny. Alan was so weird that people thought he was insane.

Doug shakes his head at Phill. " _I think so_. He's just an odd guy. You know, he's kind of weird" That was a roundabout way of saying that our Alan was a 'Special little guy' as Tracy's mom likes to call him.

"I mean, should we be worried?"

"No. Although Tracy did mention that we shouldn't let him gamble or leave him alone with Lexi or drink too much," Alan came with his own set of instructions just like a toy on Christmas day except you can never return him.

"Jesus, he's like a gremlin. Comes with instructions and shit. _Wait_ , why can't we leave him with Lexi?" Phil questions looking alarmed as I just smile at him as I ate a red vine.

"And one water," Stu says, placing his smart water on the counter behind me as Jane rings it up with the rest of the stuff we picked out, which was a lot when you counted all the junk we didn't really need.

_But what was a road trip without gas station food?_

"All good with Melissa?" Doug questions the taller man.

"Oh, yeah. Told her we're two hours outside of wine country, and she bought it" I hated seeing the gleeful look on Stu's face at the fact that his girlfriend bought his lie. He was a grown fucking man; he can go where he likes.

"You think it's strange you've been in a relationship for years, and you have to lie about Vegas?" Phil sighs, asking all the right questions as I begin trying on sunglasses from the counter.

"Yeah, I do. But trust me, it's not worth the fight" I rolled my eyes at his answer; his freedom was always worth the fight. Stu was just tired of the arguments to keep on doing it, so he gave up, and now he's Melissa's bitch.

Finding a pair of sunglasses, I liked I quickly put them on the counter with a short wink to Jane. "Oh, so you can't go to Vegas, but she can fuck a bellhop on a Carnival Cruise Line?"

"Hey," Doug says, motioning to Jane and me as we stand watching the argument going on with amused smiles. Well, I was, Jane was an oddly stoic person, but she was still a lovely woman.

"Okay, first of all, he was a bartender, and she was wasted-" Stu huffed, sounding annoyed, Phil always did this to him, but I agreed with the blue-eyed man. How could Stu let his girl fuck someone else and be okay with it?

"because that's so much better," I say sarcastically, offering Phil a bite of my red vine and frowning when he ate over half of it.

"-and, if you must know, he didn't even come inside her" I laughed when Phil choked on the sweet but mostly, I laughed at Stu's naivety.

"and you believe that?" I clicked my tongue at his expression; we had been over this time and time again.

"Uh, yeah, I do believe that because she's grossed out by semen" my eyes widened at his statement, which I think was factually untrue for most women, at least the women that I knew.

"That'll be 32.50".

"It's 32.50. You gonna pay for it?" Phil nudges Stu, who rolls his eyes but does as the older man says; he mostly does that anyway.

"Also, no woman is grossed out by semen Stu, okay?" I tell Stu as the cashier nods along with my words, chewing my sweet, I let out a fake moan, "Mmm yummy," I wink at them before going back out to the car laughing, _"Men!"._


	5. | chapter five |

We finally arrived in Vegas, my mouth dropped in awe of all the lights shining bright in the darkness. We'd soon be out on the strip having fun and giving Doug one last night of fun before marriage.

"Hi, welcome to Caesars," I glanced up to see a pretty dark-haired woman smiling at us from being the reception desk, _Lisa_ , as her name badge states. We all greeted her before she asked, "Checking in?".

Stu stepped forward with a polite smile, " _Yeah_. We have a reservation under Dr. Price" Phil and I both snorted at the use of the title as we shook our heads.

"Okay, let me look that up for you" The woman made eye contact with me quickly before typing on the small computer.

 _"Dr. Price?"_ Phil questioned, "Stu, you're a dentist, okay? Don't try and get fancy".

"It's not fancy if it's true," Stu retorted as I tapped his shoulder. The man spent years of his life in college to get that title, so if he wanted to throw it around, he can.

 _Shit_ , I'd be calling myself Doctor too if I could. _Dr. Hale_ has a ring to it.

Phil just laughs, looking back up at Lisa. "He's a dentist. Don't get too excited, And if, uh, someone has a heart attack, you should still call 911."

Lisa gives Phil a small smirk. "We'll be sure to do that" Stu just pouts and looks away. We jest, _of course,_ we're actually really proud of our resident _'doctor'._

"Can I ask you a question?" We all turn to Alan wondering what kind of thing he would be asking the poor receptionist, "Do you know if the hotel's pager-friendly?" He held up his pager with a serious face.

Lisa glanced at me for a second before facing Alan. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not getting a sig on my beeper," I sigh, pressing the top of my nose as I gave Lisa a weak smile, wondering how many years I've had to put up with this but also knowing it'll never stop.

_"I'm not sure."_

"Is there a payphone bank?" we all shook our heads as Alan continued, "Bunch of payphones? _Business_ " His eyes shifted towards us for a second before he looks back at the confused receptionist.

"Um, there's a phone in your room," She comments, sounding bewildered and a little put out.

"That'll work" Alan clears his throat as he avoids our gazes.

Lisa nods and glances back at her computer. "So I have you in a two-bedroom suite on the 12th floor, is that okay?" She smiles politely at us.

"It sounds perfect. Lexi can share with two of us. _Right?"_ Doug questions as I nod my head, it's not like I've never shared a bed with these guys before, _well_ , everyone except Alan.

And I wanted to keep it that way.

"Actually, I was wondering if you had any villas," Phil asked as my eyes brightened up, thinking about the possibility of spending the night in luxury.

"We're not even gonna be in the room—no big deal. We can share beds. It's one night. Even Lexi's fine with sharing, and it probably be with you." Stu fights as Phil rolls his eyes with a sigh.

"If we're share beds, I'm bunking with Phil and Lexi. You two good with that?" My head shook so fast as my eyes widened significantly. Lisa giggled at my expression as she tries to hide it behind her hand.

 _"Hell no,"_ Phil and I quickly protested as Alan visibly deflated.

"Guys, we are not sharing beds. What are we, 12 years old?" The taller man argued before turning back to the woman, "Lisa, I apologize. How much is the villa?".

The pretty woman rapidly types on her computer before glancing back up at us. "Well, we have one villa available, and it's 4200 for the night." I grabbed on to Phil's arm and tugged with a pleading look.

"Is it awesome?" Alan inquires for once, asking all the right questions.

The dark-haired woman quickly nods with a grin. "It's _pretty_ awesome" Her eyes move towards my hands, which were still wrapped around the blue eyed man's arms.

Phil tapped my hands with a grin as I almost bounced in excitement. "We'll take it. Give her your credit card." I clapped my hands, excited to go up and see the Villa.

"I can't give her my credit card," Stu suddenly says as looked over to see his face turned down. I frowned in wonder.

Doug sighed as he chimed in, "We'll split it."

" _No_ , Doug, there's enough of us here to split it," I say, ready to pay my portion to sleep in a luxurious bed and shower in a bathroom that wasn't basic like the one in my apartment.

"Are you crazy? No, this is on us," Phil agrees as he looks over my shoulder towards Doug and Stu as the latter was glancing at the floor sadly.

"You don't get it. Melissa checks my statements" My eyes widened once again from his words, and my exclamation of _**'what the fuck'**_ wasn't missed by Stu, who just glanced at me.

"We just need a credit card on file. We won't charge you until check out, so you can figure it out then" The woman helpfully chimes in as Phil claps his hands happily, and I cheer.

"That's perfect. Thank you, Lisa. We'll deal with it tomorrow. Come on" Lisa nods as she looks towards Stu, who looks like he was beginning to cave in.

 _"Fine,"_ He quickly placed his credit card on the desk as Phil reached around me to pat the man on the back as he gave us a grimaced smile. What was that evil woman doing to my friend?.

Lisa began to type in the details of Stu's card before looking up and biting her lip. "Also, we need a phone number on file just in case. It can be anyone's," She commented before blushing and turning to me, _"_ maybe _yours."_

The guys all looked over at me incredulously as I glanced down, giving a small smile to myself as I quickly wrote my number down on the little piece of paper she had pushed towards me with a hopeful look.

" _Seriously_ , Lexi, how do you do that?" Doug whispers to me behind Stu's back as Lisa just blushed even more. I shrug with a smirk as Phil puts his hand on my lower back.

I almost groaned when I heard Alan speak, everything was going so well, and I knew he was going to ask a stupid question; I could tell by the tone of his voice, "Can I ask you another question?.

_"Sure"_

"You probably get this a lot. This isn't the real Caesars Palace, is it?" We all turn to glance at him questioningly.

"What do you mean?" The dark-haired woman asks as she subtly slips me her number as Phil watches her every movement expressionless.

"Did, _uh..._ " I nod for him to ask her his question. It was obviously something plaguing his mind if he wanted to ask it, "Did Caesar live here?".

I just smile when Lisa gave me a questioning look. Alan was the ultimate female repellent but in the best ways. He was like an adult child. "Um, no."

_"I didn't think so."._

* * *

Carrying my bag up into the room, my mouth dropped at the sheer size of the suite. I'd never been in such a luxurious place before, and I have stayed at some pretty nice places in the past.

 _"Holy shit,"_ Stu gasps as he enters the room behind me, subtly pushing my dropped jaw back up on the way past as I pat his arm in thanks.

Phil claps Stu on the back of the neck with a happy grin as he walks over to the windows, which show the whole of Las Vegas, and it was a beautiful sight to see. "Now, this is Vegas"

"Oh, my... This place is enormous," Doug mutters as he too looks around the vast suite in awe. "Is this all one suite?" I nod at his question playing with an expensive-looking vase. "Thank you, guys, or should I say, _'Thank you, Stu'_?".

I smile when Phil takes the vase away from me with a look, "You're welcome. It's only because I love you," Stu says as he holds his hands on his hips, still looking worried.

"Okay, _ladies_ , pick a room, get dressed. Let's be ready in 30 minutes," Phil calls out before turning to me with a stern look. "I mean it, _Lex_ , 30 minutes" I just put my hands up before winking at him.

Walking into a random room, I put my bag down before walking back out to the guys with a pout on my face, _"What's wrong?"_ Doug asked with a worried look on his face, sometimes being the youngest was great.

"That room is bigger than my entire apartment, and I'm not sure how to feel about it," I said as the guys laughed. Phil kissed the side of my head as they all walked away to find their own rooms.

Moving back into the one I chose, I huffed when I opened the bathroom door and peeked in at the expensive marble. "Okay, I lied. The bathroom is bigger than my apartment. That's _fucking_ depressing".


	6. | chapter six |

Putting on my heels, I give myself one more glance in the mirror as I quickly fix my hair for the hundredth time before walking back out of my room. Hearing a wolf whistle, I jokingly pose as Doug lets out a laugh.

"Wow, Lex, you look nice," Phil says as he puts on his jacket, also looking very good dressed up in all black. I smiled at him and helped smooth out the back of his suit, and swiftly undoing one of his buttons with a wink. 

"Where's Stu?" I ask, looking around before we walk over to his door. I peek in with a small knock seeing the older man on the phone, I rolled my eyes, knowing exactly who he was talking to.

"What else? Um... We met the, uh, proprietor" The three of us walk into his room. Phi lays on the bed, and I sit by his side as we watch Stu talk on the phone to Melissa. "Oh, I bet you..."

"... What's his name? Um, Caesar. Palacè. Yeah, like the salad" Phil tapped his watch toward Stu. "Okay. Well, listen, I gotta go, because we're gonna hit this wine tasting. Wait, wait. I love you. Okay. Bye".

His happy smile made me wish that it was towards someone who deserved him and not the she-devil he was in a relationship with.  
  
"I'm not even gonna say anything. It's so embarrassing," Phil mutters as he draws patterns on my back with his fingers while I smack him on the leg. Although I agree with him, I didn't want to upset Stu.

Stu just glares at our blue-eyed friend before glancing around the room. "Where's Alan?" 

"He, uh, he went downstairs," Doug pipes up as I shiver from Phil's finger trailing up my spine. "He said he had to grab a few things" I frowned, wondering what 'things' Alan could be out getting.

"Good, because I have something to show you," I snorted at the moves Stu was making until he pulled out a ring box.

"What the hell is that?" Phil hisses as we both glance at each other in horror, knowing this had bad news written all over it.

"What do you think?" Stu huffs, rolling his eyes at the taller man's tone.

Phil just gaped at Stu in disbelief. "If it's what I think it is, I think it's a big fucking mistake" I bite my lip from adding anything to Phil's statement. This was bad; there was no way he could marry that evil bitch.

  
"I'm gonna propose to Melissa at your wedding. After the ceremony," I let out a loud groan before Doug pinched my side as I squealed and giving him a small glare. How could Doug be so okay with this?

"Stuey, congratulations!" Doug says as he holds the ring box open. Stu smiles widely as he puts his pants on.  
  
Glancing in the box, I gaped at the piece of jewelry inside of it. "That's a beautiful ring" I smiled up at my friend as he grinned proudly. 

"Yeah. It's my grandmother's. She made it all the way through the Holocaust with that thing. It's legit" I took the box from Doug and looked at the ring more closely. There was no way Stu could give this ring to Melissa.  
  
"Wait, have you not listened to anything I have ever said?" Phil protested as both Doug and Stu sighed at his words.  
  
"Phil, we've been dating for three years. It's time. This is how it works".

"A, that is bullshit. And B, she is a complete bitch” Phil grumbles, fighting our friend on his bad choices.  
  
Doug hit Phil's shoe as he tried to hide his smile. "Hey, that's his fiancée."  
  
Phil glances at Doug in shock as he throws his hand up, motioning to Stu, who was ignoring us and getting dressed. "What? It's true. It's true. You know it's true. She beats him"  
  
"That was twice, and I was out of line. She's strong-willed. And I respect that." Stu says as I slowly blink at his words, feeling fury flare up in me.

I tilt my head to the side as I click my tongue, pissed. "And if it ever happens again, I will rain down on her so hard," I hiss as Doug rubs my back, knowing how I felt when Stu told us that the first time it happened.

"Wow. Wow", the taller man huffs, turning to Doug and me, "He's in denial. Not to mention, she fucked a sailor.".  
  
"Hey," the husband to be called out with a hidden smirk, "He wasn't a sailor. He was a bartender on a cruise ship. You know that." I snigger at his words as I hold my hand up for a high five.

Stu huffed as he turned to the three of us, annoyed, "I'm standing right here. So I can hear everything that you're saying".

"Hey, guys. You ready to let the dogs out?" Alan says as he comes into the room holding a plastic bag. We all glanced at him, confused. "Let the dogs out. You know," I smiled when he started doing a little dance.

Phil chuckled with a grin as he asked us, "Who brought this guy?".  
  
Doug let out a laugh as he nodded at Alan. "Yes, Alan, we are ready to let the dogs out," ushering us out of the room, he quickly turned back to Stu, "Hey, congrats."

Rolling my eyes, I followed behind Phil, who opened the door for me with a wink. I grinned, tapping his cheek before walking out of the room towards the elevators, ready to get my party on.  
  
"I love this fucking town," Phil clapped as the five of us waited for the elevator to come.  
  
"You're not really wearing that, are you?" The blue-eyed man said to Alan as we stood in the hall. I turned to see Phil glancing between Alan and the bag he had strapped around his body.

"Wearing what?" Alan just frowned at Phil looking totally confused.  
  
"The man-purse" The bearded man glanced down at his bag before looking back at Phil, who just laughed. "You're actually gonna wear that, or are you guys fucking with me?"

I shrugged my shoulders when his blue eyes landed on me. Alan wore that bag everywhere he went, and by now, I was used to it. I seemed to be desensitized when it came to things Alan did anymore.  
  
"It's where I keep all my things. I get a lot of compliments on this", Alan argues as he glances at me. I just gave him a thumbs up. "Plus, it's not a man-purse. It's called a satchel. Indiana Jones wears one".  
  
Phil rolls his neck as he smirks. "So does Joy Behar."

The elevator doors open as a guy and girl quickly move away from the compromising position they were in. I wasn't judging at all, but after seeing the guy's eyes on me for a little too long, I was beginning to get creeped out.

"We're going up, guys," He said, giving me a wink as I entered the metal box. The girl huffed as she pulled her dress back to cover herself up.

"Yeah, that's perfect," Phil answered as he pushed me gently between him and the wall before wrapping an arm around my waist. Latching on to him, I try not to look at the guy who was pretty much undressing me with his eyes.

"Really? We're going up?"

The girl tried to rub the guy's chest, but he put his hand up and moved away, obviously not into it right now.

I placed my hand in Phil's as we silently rode the elevator up the highest floor. The creepy guy and his girl got off a few floors earlier, leaving me with another wink and a slip of a number, which Phil binned on the way out of the elevator.

"I'm just saying, it's clearly marked, okay? We are definitely not supposed to be up here", Stu argued as we made our way to the roof. I had no idea why Phil wanted us on the roof, but I was all for it.

"Come on, we're paying for a villa. We can do whatever the fuck we want", Phil argued, and I grinned excitedly.

"Yeah, but-"

"Just wedge the door open," I say, pointing to a cement block that was by the doorway. The staff probably come up here all the time for a smoke break. No one would catch us up here; we'd be gone soon.

"Guys, come on up here," Phil motioned to a ladder before motioning to me. "Up you go, Lexi," He said with a grin as I gave him a sarcastic smile and handing him my purse and shoes.

"After you," I smirked, knowing he only wanted me to go first to get a look up my dress. I think Stu and Doug were the only ones I knew wouldn't take a peek, so I would be going last.

"How the hell did you find this place?" Doug questions as he holds his arms out for me to go ahead of him. I knew he was being protective, so I raised my eyebrows at Alan, who quickly turned around.

Placing my bare feet on the ladder, I quickly and awkwardly made my way up as Phil put his hand out for me to grab when I got to the top. I thanked him before putting my shoes back on. 

"Don't worry about it."

I gazed out towards all the lights with a grin on my face, this is what freedom tasted like, and I loved it. I could stay here forever, maybe have Tracy move here with me. I wasn't going to let her turn into some boring housewife.  
  
"Alan, how we doing, buddy?" Phil questioned, and I turned to see Alan holding some shot glasses and a bottle of Jäger. I smiled softly at him as he danced his way over to us with a grin.

"What do you got over there, Alan?" Doug laughed, seeing what was in his hands. "Uh-oh. A little Jägermeister." The glasses were all handed out to us as Alan handed the bottle to Phil.

"Good idea," I said to Alan, who beamed with pride at my praise. Phil snorted after seeing the man's ears flush red. 

"I'd like to make a toast," Stu started as Phil poured some Jäger into each of our shot glasses. "To Doug and Tracy. May tonight be but a minor speed bump in an otherwise very long and healthy marriage".

"Cheers."  
  
We all tipped our heads back as we took a shot. Doug grimaced as he shook his head, blanching at the taste, "Oh, it's like college."

I laughed, shaking my head as I licked the alcohol that had tipped onto my fingers that Phil had poured. "Mm, it's just like the bachelorette," I teased as Doug gives me a small glare knowing I'll never tell him what went on.

"All right. I wanna talk about something. I want to..." Phil started before he was cut off by Alan.

"I'd like to... I'd like to say something that I prepared tonight" Doug smiled as he patted Phil on the shoulder as Alan completely talked over him.

"All right, Alan." 

He fished in his purse for a second before pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. "Hello. How about that ride in? I guess that's why they call it Sin City. You guys might not know this, but I consider myself a bit of a loner".

"I tend to think of myself as a one-man wolf pack. But when my sister brought Lexi home, she became more than a pack member. She's the Alpha bitch” my eyes widened as I looked at the guys who all laughed at Alan's words.

"Then those two brought Doug home. I knew he was one of my own. And our wolf pack, it grew by another one. So were there three... So there were three of us in the wolf pack".

"I was alone first in the pack, then Lexi came, and then Doug joined in later" Doug and I smiled at each other "And six months ago when Doug introduced me to you guys, I thought: 'Wait a second. Could it be?' And now, I know for sure. I just added two more guys to my wolf pack."  
  
"Five of us wolves. Running around the desert together in Las Vegas looking for strippers and cocaine. So tonight I make a toast" Alan pulled out a pocket knife as Phil quickly tugged me away from the crazy bearded man.

We all screamed as Alan pushed the knife into his palm "Dude, what the fuck?" Phil yelled with his arm wrapped around my waist and turning me away from the vicinity of the knife.

"What the hell are you doing?" Doug questions as Alan groans out in pain before smiling up at us.

"Blood brothers and Lexi," Alan added with a nod in my direction as I just glanced at him, freaked out. I guess I was wrong about being desensitized to Alan's actions. That one definitely shocked me.   
  
Alan tried to pass us the knife, but we all screamed at him, "Alan, we're not gonna cut ourselves. Give me the knife. Slowly" Doug instructed as the bearded man child passed the knife. "Thank you. Okay. Thank you very much".

I moved away from Phil to check up on Alan. "You all right? Are you okay?" I questioned as he put his hand to his mouth and began sucking. Tracy would kill me if I let anything happen to Alan on my watch.

"Do you need a doctor?" Phil asked over my shoulder as Doug placed the knife on the side of the roof before coming back to see Alan sucking on his wound.

The shorter man shook his head. "He's fine, he's good."

"You sure?"

"I'm good" Alan nodded as I pulled his hand away from his mouth to see the gash he had dug into his palm. He'd have to wrap that shit up before we went anywhere. The bearded man just smiled when I took his hand into mine.  
  
"Perfect. Alan, come here, buddy".

"Get in here, crazy," Stu snickers as he ushers Alan into the circle with a big grin. 

I held my shot glass in the middle of the circle as I looked at each of my friends. They all followed suit with equally excited faces "All right guys, to a night the five of us will never forget."


End file.
